With an upcoming Disney trip, our DFB editor, Kim, just booked lunch for early January!!

Lunch Reservation for Beaches and Cream

And… my Mom (yep, AJ’s Mom for those who have met her) is at Walt Disney World right now and confirmed with the restaurant! Reservations officially begin booking for December 18th and later, but if you call 407-WDW-DINE now, Walt Disney World Dining will accept and honor your reservation prior to that date. Woohoo!!

If you visit Disney Dining online, you’ll now see Beaches and Cream has the “Find A Table” option!

Find A Table at Beaches and Cream

If you are booking online, available tables will first begin showing for December 18th. Holiday visitors should book their upcoming lunch or dinner at Beaches and Cream now. Once word gets out, these reservations are likely to go fast. We’ll keep our readers posted as to whether this is a seasonal or permanent change.

This is truly heartbreaking for me, since I always rely on Beaches and Cream for a last-minute meal at least once during my Disney trips. Knowing I might have to book 180 days in advance? Ugh!

What are your thoughts??

Will you like having the ability to reserve a time at Beaches and Cream? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Comments

Any word on whether this may just be for the holidays? If not, I would hope they’ll keep some tables open for walk-ups. Nice to be able to make a reservation, but also nice to be able to get in without one!

Dang. This makes me sad. I LOVED having the ability to be able to walk up here. This restaurant is so small that it benefitted by not allowing ADRs. Now, I fear I’ll never get to take advantage of a walk up again.

I hate this. The place is so small and I like just stopping by informally without planning six months in advance… I am deeply saddened by this development. Leave me alone with spontaneity, Disney, please.

This is a huge bummer. It’s such a tiny place! I’ve never had a problem either eating at B and C at an off hour, or just accepting that it will be crowded and waiting awhile. We’ll see how this shakes out, but for the moment, it’s disappointing to say the last. I feel like it’s especially a bummer for those staying at the Yacht and Beach.

Well, I still think the real solution here is to take 12 feet (3.6 meters), from the arcade next door and expand Beaches and Cream over just a bit… then there would be enough room for everyone, walk ups and ADR’s. Hummmmmm. Another 30 place settings and it would almost be the size of a restaurant and not just a pool-side “lounge”.

Bummer. Without the reservation mill, this was a great place to visit when we stayed at the BC (which was “usually”). Now people will think of it as a destination. It was full all the time, why did they even need to add this layer of complexity. Dangit.

The last time we visited, the ice cream was as good as ever, though I still mourn the loss of my Lime Rickeys. However, the hamburger I had was just terrible. I assumed it was an off night.

This isn’t good news to me. We like to go to Beaches N Cream randomly for a last minute meal or ice cream. I don’t think there is enough tables to satisfy ADR’s and walk ups. Hopefully it’s just for the holidays.

I can understand why a lot of people are bummed about this, but my family has been planning on lunch at Beaches & Cream for our trip this January. We’re now even more excited because we KNOW we’ll get in as we just made our reservation.

I’m afraid to say this, but I’m kind of happy about it. I’ve never gotten to eat here and now, if we don’t have to worry about having to wait in a big line, I may actually get to enjoy this wonderful little place for the first time.

This is very disappointing, we are locals and just don’t make long term plans. If we have a craving for a No Way Jose and just head over there, avoiding peak hours, we can usually get a table without to long of a wait. It was one of the few places we could go seeing as we rarely make reservations, honestly just for special occasions will we go to the trouble. That’s just not how we enjoy the parks. I hope they reconsider this reservation idea!

Please add me to the list of the bummed out! I always counted on this as my “arrival day” dinner, if I was staying at the Beach Club or Boardwalk. I’d get to the hotel, check in, get settled, then go over and get put on the list for dinner. (I learned a long time ago that if I make an ADR for arrival day, I jinx myself, and the flight is delayed.) With their new policy of charging your credit card if you cancel less than 24 hours prior, I definately won’t be making reservations for arrival day!

Fortunately, there are ample places to sit outdoors and enjoy the ice cream in the event that there is not sufficient walk-up seating available inside. Whether the party is walk up or ADR, they will still be occupying the seat.

Even with walk-ups it was hard to get the single table they could put together to accommodate our party of six. When I just tried for ADR’s nothing showed for parties over 4. I’m continually perplexed why I see tons of people waiting outside a tiny restaurant with an enormous, empty arcade on the other side of the wall!

This is really unfortunate for locals and guests of the immediate area resorts. If the really want to do reservations, the need to talk out the entire arcade and add it to the existing restaurant. If they expand they would really need to completely redo the kitchen, though, because it would be completely inefficient for a larger restaurant. If they remodeled and expanded, we would love to take advantage of reservations. Sadly if they don’t expand we will be looking for a new fave restaurant.

I think it’s a bad idea. I’m at 180 days for my trip in June, and I can’t find anything available for my party. This restaurant will be continually booked b/c of its size. It’s going to become one of the hardest ADR’s to get among regulars.

I ate dinner at Beaches & Cream last night and spoke with a well-informed Cast Member about the restaurant’s upcoming reservation policy. I texted with A.J. last night, and I suspect she’ll post something on the blog explaining what I heard, but she wanted me to put a brief overview in the comments as well.

Reservations will become available Dec. 18, as A.J. reported. This will be a permanent change, not a holiday exclusive. According to this Cast Member, only the table will be used for reservations. The counter will remain open exclusively for walk-up guests.

The podium has been instructed to create a waiting list for the counter that goes up to 45 minutes. Once the wait is longer than that, walk-up guests will be turned away. Once the wait dissipates and goes under 45 minutes again, the Cast Member outside will allow new parties onto the waiting list.

Again, this was from a Cast Member, so you must take this with at least a degree of skepticism. But he is a longtime counterman at Beaches & Cream and had been briefed on the situation, so I’m confident his account is accurate. Nobody at the restaurant seemed pleased about this.

Why wouldn’t you still go? Just go and see, or check for reservations on your phone when you feel the urge. Or pick up the phone and call them… You can get a direct line to B&C. I think the reactions here are a bit harsh. It is sooooo much easier to access the restaurants now within the past few years.

Beaches and Cream is one of my favorites. You can still get a seat at the counter, which is what I did with my spouse last week. It’s a great place to also go if you are a party of one. Last week most of the counter seats were free, with the booths and tables full with parties of 3 or more. Reservation policy really shouldn’t impact small parties, but may impact larger ones. Especially if you are going to share the Kitchen Sink!